Break Your Curse

Marissa Meyer is one of my all-time favorite authors, so it is only fitting that her books are among the first I review. Having just completed her two-book collection of “Gilded” and “Cursed,” with The Lunar Chronicles never far from memory, I am excited to share my thoughts.

These books take Miller’s daughter, Serilda, down a path to stop darkness from taking reign. I won’t spoil the book (I will never spoil a book), so don’t expect a summary. What I will say is that the story, like The Lunar Chronicles, takes inspiration from classic fairy tales such as Rumplestiltskin and Beauty and the Beast. The world Meyer creates is a world of powerful gods, good old-fashioned fairytale romance, and strong-willed women. 

I was delighted to read gender-fluid characters and different types of couples in a way that did not make it a focal point of the story to be conscious of gender and sexual identity. Lovable characters were lovable, villains were despicable (and, at times, delectable), and everyone played a valuable role from start to finish. 

The world and how it works is well-established in the first book, “Gilded,” by characterizing the big players and establishing setting in a way that represents the society and values of the different communities. In “Gilded,” it is learned that not all that glitters is gold (though, it might be). 

Then there’s “Cursed.” Meyer takes this quite literally, but as is often done in story-telling, there is a sort of allegorical meaning to it. “Cursed” builds the world we met in “Gilded,” answering questions the way a several-headed beast is destroyed: answer one and two more grow in its place. Art in all its forms are vital to the success of Serilda and her team of god-blessed individuals. One thing is made perfectly clear: There is power in a name, in a story, in art.

What’s holding you back? That’s your curse. And curses can be broken.